September 30, 2020. End of third-quarter. First presidential debate. Baseball playoffs beginning. NBA finals start. For Jews, it’s the beginning of a new year.
Today feels pivotal.
Sometimes you can sense things are changing. The weather has abruptly shifted in Chicago. It went from summer to decidedly fall overnight. The real apple cider has come in. The sweet corn is all but gone. I plan to buy my two bushels of 10 varieties of apples this Sunday at the farmers market from Hardin Orchards near Kalamazoo. It is my yearly ritual. My wife, Risa, peels them, I slice them. We boil them for an hour and we have applesauce for the year.
Business has shifted too. For six months, the focus was on staying alive, finding the Kleenex, arguing about masks. No longer. It’s no longer about finding hand sanitizer; it’s about finding hands to feed machines. Companies are ordering stuff and requesting that it be flown in. I looked for a propane bottle for my Weber and the hardware store was sold out. This is late September.
People are no longer frozen in place. Populations are in flux. New York has been abandoned. Rentals in Florida are being snapped up early.
COVID-19 is still a real threat for folks over 60, but despite 40,000 positive tests every day, hospitalizations are half of what they were in April and May. As terrible as COVID-19 is and has been, we are getting used to it. We expect successful vaccines and effective treatments. It has been awful, and still is, but it is not the Black Death of Shakespeare’s time that killed 1/3 of the population.
The election will happen. It will be messy and contentious. There will be sore losers. We will endure shouts and certainly litigation. People will yell fire, they will scream robbery, and we will get through it with perhaps a few windows broken.
I am happy it’s fall. I am happy that Patrick Mahomes is still invincible. I’m sorry for you if you sold perfume at Macy’s. I pity you if you rented office space in New York. I am sad for you if you were a waitress at a pancake house in Chicago. And I am truly tearful if you are 88 years old and imprisoned in your apartment, by the rules that are supposed to help you.
But things are really changing right now, September 30, 2020. And it will get much better soon. I believe it. We will heal, if we can just live through it.
Question: Was there a winner in the debate last night?
20 Comments
No winners last night, but sadly it went about as you’d expect these days.
Biden for sure–he didn’t do to much and Trump looked like an angry child.Since it seems Biden is ahead he has the option of running out the clock if he doesn’t fumble to often. He stood up the whole time and did not get as rattled as Trump.So even if it’s a draw the decision goes to the leader.
Loved your article, very good summation of life for most people depending on where you live I suppose.
No there was no winner in the debate last night, I hoped for more discussion instead of loud noise into microphones………..My voice is louder than yours is what i heard.
Wishing you a great day, a marvelous week and a much better last quarter of the year.
No clear winners My opinion.
The Obvious loser was Chris Wallace .
When you have two Children who don’t know how to be respectful of each other . You ask a question if you don’t get an answer . Reply, well that’s not an answer lets move on.
One would think Chris could simply mute either microphone as needed. And that was often!
Before the debate Chris Wallace said that if he did it correctly we wouldn’t even know he was a moderator. He was right – he asked many of his questions in such a partisan way that we now know he’ll be voting for Biden.
Sadly, the biggest losers were all of us who endured that torturous debacle cloaked as a debate. I have never seen a President act like such a child in my life, but that would be an insult to children. In all my years, my children have never acted that immature, insolent, nasty, or completely out of control. POTUS had a full on tantrum and was just spewing. I wish Biden would have looked at the camera and said, “If this is the America you want, angry, out of control, rude, narcissistic, then vote for this reality TV star. Fool me once, shame on you but if we let the con man fools us twice, shame on us…Let’s Make America Sane Again people. Our democracy and this Republic deserve better than this immature ego maniac. Vote for the logical choice so we can get back to being the America everyone respects because we are a government by the people for ALL THE PEOPLE…not just the rich and famous.”
Couldn’t have said it any better – kudos to you.
THANKS GARY 🙂
What a petty argument Margaret.
I wish Trump would have looked directly into the camera and said:
“Is Biden’s America what you want? Cowardly and fearful. Marxist and untrusting of its own people. Then vote for the fearful squirrel hiding in his basement while the rest of the country is in the fight for its very soul!”
As for me I will vote for the man who really cares for this nation. A strong man (Trump) is needed in these times. I will look beyond his rough style, judging only on his actual policies that are good for America and her people. What we don’t need is a weakling (Biden) who sold our country down the river for 47 years. I personally have had enough of the sweet talkers who NEVER deliver on both sides of the isle. Trump is the first in decades that actually is working for the American people.
Yes, Trump didn’t act “presidentially” and Joe did.
But Joe spewed lie after lie, Chris didn’t stop him or give Trump a chance to rebut most of them, cut Trump off when he tried, asked Trupm questions like “When did you stop beating your wife” and didn’t press Joe for answers when he prevaricated.
I’d rather have someone who tells the truth and keeps their word than someone who likes and talks tries to appease everyone without actually DOING anything.
Trupm’s had (almost) 4 years of opposition from the Democrats and kept most of his promises, Joe’s had 47 years of support and done more harm than good to us “common people”.
WHO is the logical choice here?
Margaret, this is the best analysis of last night’s debacle that I have seen! Thanks.
I hope before the next “debate” they build two soundproof glass boxes where the candidates can hear each other, but where their microphone will only be on when it is their designated time to speak. Maybe it will force some decorum. At least one won’t constantly be talking over the other.
OBVIOUSLY a Democrat
I feel like a winner as I didn’t watch. The handful of people that mentioned it to me today,
weren’t impressed. Jo and Spike have my vote anyway.
Glad you’re feeling more hopeful Lloyd.
*Margaret
Good article by the way Lloyd
It is clear, Trump has sociopath issues and needs to go. You don’t have to be a physiologist to see the patterns. Sad to think people are now “ok” with 17 year olds walking around unhindered carrying AR-15 and guns 2 people down and garners the presidents support! Why did no federal law officer do his bidding and go clean out the protesters at his command? But he had to resort to using goons with no insignia on themselves. History has had dictators like him before and it didn’t end well. Why are so many books written by close co-workers, family and friends, saying this man is not fit for office? Why do I have to pay taxes and he doesn’t?? Why does he have to constantly brag about how rich he is? Find a real billionaire that brags, you won’t find one, it would be bad business for a billionaire to do that. I don’t believe he is a real billionaire, just one more of his billion lies.
And another wacky Democrat!
Jay, you make very little sense. And Trump is the psychopath? You cant even spell it “siciopath” LOL!!!
Hi C Charles, I miss spell one word and you seem confused and can’t make sense of what said. No wonder Trump manipulate you brain into thinking he is great! LOL!!! And to Big Al, FYI, I’m not affiliated with neither party, just an observer.
I believe if the format had allowed for a response after many of Biden’s false allegations,
the President would not have interrupted so much.